De Gustibus Non est Disputantdum : There is no Accounting for Taste

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1977's famous piece titled "De Gustibus Non est Disputantdum" or when translated "In matters of tastes, there can be no disputes" written by Nobel prize winners Gary Becker and George Sigler made a case for why economists who are mostly logical should endeavour to steer clear from understanding the preferences people make in life.

Preference or taste is a reflection of our likes and dislikes and shouldn't be confused with beliefs. According to the Merriam Webster Dictionary, belief is something that is accepted to be true or held as an opinion.

People could have wrong beliefs but they can not have the wrong preferences. People can choose to like sour food over sweet ones, vanilla over chocolate, swimming over hiking, Web 3 over Web 2 Bitcoin over Etheruem etc. but when we believe in a particular idea, it is usually difficult to get our mind swayed from it even when all the information points towards it being wrong.

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Yet for us to continue to exist in a peaceful and healthy environment we need to try to understand why people have these views before we can begin any form of criticism because most times our experiences and education build our belief system.

As a reference, I have a friend whose name I wouldn't mention that I have been persuading to take some time off Web 2 networks where he usually puts up outstanding posts and contributions for next to nothing and give Web 3 networks like Hive and LeoFinance a chance because he would have the advantage of earning while doing something he loves. He keeps telling me that his belief system doesn't agree with monetizing his hobby because he enjoys doing what he does for free, and joining the hive blockchain where he would pretty much do the same thing he does on any other web 2 platforms for some sort of incentive would make his passion into a chore and that scares him.

In my head, I thought that the belief system with which he was operating was kind of flawed but I also understood that it was his preference at the moment and tried to respect it. Hopefully, he would have a change of preference and give Web 3 platforms a shot in the near future.

This episode with my friend helped me appreciate the value of belief systems and preferences but more importantly, it is teaching me to understand the reasons behind the actions people make.

I understood that when we are willing to suspend our own disbelief in the idea or methods of others and trust that they know what they want, it helps us live a life void of entitled expectations.

Indeed there is no way to account for the tastes of others as it is usually built by lives experiences and could only be changed when their conditioning is altered.

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